KSR Today: Player decisions, Mark Stoops, and DJ Wagner
Good morning, folks! We’re all still waiting to hear what will happen with the many stay/go decisions from the Kentucky men’s basketball team. So far, only Sahvir Wheeler has made an announcement, as the four-year SEC point guard confirmed his transfer on Wednesday with a goodbye letter penned to the Big Blue Nation. Individual meetings with head coach John Calipari took place this week and now all that’s left is the actual announcements. Will those happen today? Your guess is as good as ours, but regardless, we’ll be waiting on pins and needles to see how it all breaks. While we wait, refresh yourself on what’s expected to happen with Jack Pilgrim’s most recent update from earlier this week.
It’s not all about basketball today though. With spring practice in full swing and dozens upon dozens of high-profile recruits making pitstops in Lexington the last week-plus, there’s plenty to discuss surrounding the Kentucky football program. As luck would have it, head coach Mark Stoops will join the KSR radio show at 11:05 a.m. this morning to talk about the state of the team. You’ll want to tune in.
DJ Wagner has that Dog in him
Less than 24 hours after being named the Most Valuable Player of the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Game in Houston, DJ Wagner followed it up with a game-winning, stepback three-pointer in the first round of The Throne National Championship in Atlanta. Suiting up for the Camden (NJ) Avalanche, the five-star Kentucky signee hit the go-ahead triple with less than 10 seconds left on the game clock that pushed his team ahead 61-60 to down the Wheeler (GA) Wildcats.
After Camden High School’s season was cut short due to an on-court brawl, removing them from contention for a New Jersey state championship, the team joined The Throne National Championship, a 16-team tournament that features some of the most talented programs from across the country. Now known as the Camden Avalance, Wagner’s group will have another chance at taking home a title.
After Wednesday’s game was over, Wagner was briefly escorted to the local hospital where X-rays discovered something incredibly rare. Below is a leaked photo of what they uncovered.
Softball tops Louisville; Volleyball hosts former ‘Cats
The softball ‘Cats hosted in-state rival Louisville on Wednesday night, and all they did was smack the Cardinals for the second time this season, winning 7-4. Led by five combined RBIs from Rylea Smith and Meeko Harrison, No. 16 Kentucky totaled 12 hits compared to Louisville’s seven. Four ‘Cats recorded multiple hits while pitcher Alex Lacatena picked up her eighth win of the season with a steady performance on the mound before Sloan Gayan came in to earn the save in the seventh and final inning.
With the win, Kentucky moves to 21-7-1 on the season while Louisville drops to 22-10. Next up for the Wildcats is a high-profile road series — the SEC Network’s feature series of the week, actually — against the No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs this weekend.
Elsewhere, Kentucky volleyball’s spring season continues on Thursday night (7PM; SEC Network+) with its only home game of the season taking place against some familiar faces. Two former Wildcats, Leah Edmond and Kaz Brown, return to Lexington as opponents of Kentucky as they’ll suit up for Athletes Unlimited, which is a professional team that’ll be playing top colleges throughout the spring. Kentucky fell to Louisville in the first spring matchup last week.
Will Levis’ draft stock update
Mock drafts are hitting the world wide web at a high pace this week. Will Levis appears to be all over the board with one media personality not including the Kentucky prospect in the first round.
- ESPN’s Jordan Reid: Las Vegas Raiders (No. 7 overall)
- ESPN’s Mike Tannebaum: Indianapolis Colts (No. 4 overall)
- ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.: Indianapolis Colts (No. 3 overall via trade)
- ESPN’s Todd McShay: Las Vegas Raiders (No. 7 overall)
- NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 19 overall)
- KSR+’s Mock Draft: Seattle Seahawks (No. 5 overall)
Most pundits have the Kentucky prospect going off the board in the top 10 as expected. However, Daniel Jeremiah has Levis nearly out of the teens and going to Tampa Bay to compete with Baker Mayfield for a starting gig in the NFC South.
However, NFL Media’s Bucky Brooks has Levis falling completely out of the first round.
“In my last mock draft, I had the Raiders select Kentucky QB Will Levis here, but that was before they signed Jimmy Garoppolo, whose presence as a veteran signal-caller enables Las Vegas to focus on taking the best player available to upgrade the defense.”
Brooks must not have seen the Levis thirst trap pictures on his body transformation since the football season came to an end.
Lots of football recruiting updates
As I mentioned above, there is a lot going on in the world of football recruiting. The Kentucky coaching staff is hitting the trail with ferocity, looking to make up some ground on what has been a slow-developing 2024 class. Check out what KSR knows about a handful of Kentucky’s top targets below. It’s only going to get busier from here, too.
- Gavin Grover Feels “Homey” Connection During Visit to Kentucky
- Kentucky Hosts 4-Star Offensive Tackle Jac’Qawn McRoy
- OT Deryc Plazz planning visits to Kentucky after earning offer
Also, there’s a top-ranked QB right in Kentucky’s backyard that is getting the red-carpet treatment from the Wildcats. But that’s as much of a tease as I can give you without telling you to sign up for KSR+ so you can read more about it on KSBoard. Come join the fun.
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard